


Alcohol and Apologies

by CaramelDarling



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drunk Kissing, Firewhiskey, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Slightly sad Draco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-28
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-17 16:13:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4673084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaramelDarling/pseuds/CaramelDarling
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Draco drink and talk, mostly about apologies.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alcohol and Apologies

**Author's Note:**

> Very short and just for fun. I think about Draco apologizing a lot. This is one version of how it goes in my head. (Unbetaed, sorry if there are any mistakes.)

Draco’s Adam's apple moves as he swallows the firewhiskey. His face is flushed a bright pink, his eyes are taking on that glazed look of the intoxicated, and his hands almost miss as he shoves the bottle into Harry’s hands.

The eighth year common room is empty, as everyone went to bed hours earlier. Harry couldn’t sleep. He was going to walk around the castle, but instead he found Draco sprawled on the floor, sipping from a bottle of firewhiskey.

Draco hadn’t said anything when Harry joined him on the floor. He had barely looked at him. Now, as they pass the bottle between each other, Draco looks like he wants to say something. He opens his mouth, closes it, watches Harry drink.

“Potter, what are you doing?” he finally asks. Harry is surprised by how clear his voice sounds, not slurred at all.

“Whaddaya mean?” Harry frowns. He’s definitely slurring.

“I mean, why are you drinking with me? Don’t you… you know, hate me or whatever?”

Harry thinks for a moment and shrugs. “Not so much anymore. There’s just no point.” He puts the bottle in Draco’s hand. Draco almost drops it. He can’t seem to control his hands the way he wants to -- the only real sign Harry sees that he is indeed drunk.

“I did a lot of stupid shit,” Draco says. He sounds resigned, sheepish.

Harry didn’t think he would ever hear Draco Malfoy sound sheepish. It’s weird, a bit unsettling. “Yes, you did.”

Draco shoves him lightly -- playfully like they’re friends. He’s smiling a tiny bit, but it’s almost sad. “I suppose I should apologise, swallow my pride, all that. Mother’s made me apologise to practically everyone already anyway. She made me send like fifteen apology letters over the summer, did you know?”

Harry heard about that. No one took them seriously, especially not Ron or Hermione, who threw theirs into the fireplace the second after they finished reading them. Harry didn’t receive one. He thinks he would have kept his if he had.

“Only Lovegood replied,” Draco admits. “She’s very sweet, you know. I was surprised.”

Harry nods, gestures towards the firewhiskey until Draco hands it over again. “She is. I think you forgot me. I didn’t get one, you know.”

Draco smirks. “Yes, well. There're some things that shouldn’t be written.”

After a pause, Harry says, “I would have replied too.”

The smirk falls from Draco’s face. He shakes himself and looks down at his feet. “No, you wouldn’t have.”

“Malfoy.”

“Fine.” Draco leans back against one of the armchairs, clearly trying to look nonchalant, but it doesn’t quite work. There’s a tension in his body he can’t hide. “You want apologies. Where do I start? I’m sorry for bullying you for so many years. I’m sorry about all the times I insulted your family or your friends. I’m sorry about the fights and the hexes. Sorry.” He doesn’t sound like he means it. His voice is tense, bordering on angry, and his face has contorted into what seems to be a sneer he can’t stop himself from making.

Harry watches him try to control his expressions for a second, recalling the things he has mentioned. “You broke my nose sixth year.”

Through clenched teeth, Draco says, “I’m sorry.”

“You helped Umbridge fifth year. You got me banned from Quidditch.”

Draco sighs, nodding. “Yes, she was awful, wasn’t she? I’m sorry about that too. I didn’t think she’d ever try to…”

Neither of them finishes the sentence. Draco takes the firewhiskey from Harry almost forcefully and chugs. Harry watches his Adam's apple.

“You ran away without me first year, in the Forbidden Forest.”

Draco stops drinking. “It’s not my fault you’ve no self-preservation!” he shouts. “Any normal person would have run. I won’t apologise for that.” He wipes his mouth with his sleeve. His lips are cherry red. “Besides, I… didn’t mean to leave you behind. I turned around and you weren’t there. At least I went to get Hagrid.”

Harry smiles. “Oh, yeah. About Hagrid-”

“ _Enough_. He got my apology letter too.” Draco buries his head in his hands for a moment, long enough that it begins to worry Harry. Then, he lifts his head and gives Harry a tired look, his eyes watery.

Harry suddenly remembers what happened in the bathroom sixth year.

“I can’t apologise for everything and I can’t fix anything,” Draco says. “Of course no one answered my letters. They’re meaningless.”

Harry resists saying _no they’re not_. Instead, he moves closer to Draco, reaches to touch his arm. Draco flinches, causing Harry to pause. Once he relaxes again, Harry puts his hand on Draco’s upper arm, away from where he knows the Dark Mark still sits, marring perfect skin.

“I owe you apologies too,” Harry admits. “Especially for hexing you sixth year. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what that spell did. You were going to Crucio me. I panicked.”

Draco looks at him through dark eyelashes. It makes Harry go warm all over. He thinks he might have had too much firewhiskey.

“I don’t think I could’ve done it. Crucio’ed you, I mean. At least, I want to think I couldn’t have. But I don’t know.”

“Why?” Harry’s thumb begins to rub circles into Draco’s arm.

Draco seems to relax further. “I’ve just been angry all these years.”

“About what?”

Draco looks Harry in the eyes. His gaze is hot, alive with something that makes Harry shiver. It’s a shame he never tried to talk to him like this before, Harry thinks as Draco leans towards him if this is what it might’ve lead to.

Their kiss is hardly a kiss, just lips hovering against lips. Harry takes in a sharp breath, surprised despite knowing it was coming. Draco seems afraid to move. He’s gone tense again and he doesn’t attempt to deepen the kiss. Harry can feel him begin to tremble beneath his fingers.

Harry deepens it instead before Draco can pull away. The thought of that makes Harry ache painfully. Their lips move slowly, tentatively, until Harry runs his tongue along Draco’s bottom lip, tasting firewhiskey. The shiver that moves through Draco’s body is delicious and Harry waits until Draco opens his mouth before slipping his tongue inside.

A high pitched whine escapes Draco’s mouth. Harry can feel it move down his body. He wants to hear it again. They kiss for a long time until Draco starts to make sweet noises, moaning low in his throat. It’s a wonderful sound. It’s the best sound Harry has ever heard.

He feels slightly dizzy as he pulls away to kiss the skin on Draco’s neck, presses his open mouth against Draco’s adam’s apple. Draco shivers again, tensing momentarily as his fingers catch on Harry’s hair.

“Potter,” he says quietly. “Potter.”

Harry thinks he might pass out.

And then Draco says, “I’m really drunk.”

“Mm,” Harry agrees, pulling away. He rests his head on Draco’s shoulder, closing his eyes against another wave of dizziness. “Me too.”

“As much…” A pause. Harry feels Draco swallow and kisses his neck one more time. “As much as I’d like to continue, I think I might be sick soon and I’d hate to vomit all over you while you’re…”

Harry laughs because the thought of what he wants to do to Draco alone is enough to turn him on tremendously. But he silently agrees he doesn’t want to be vomited on.

“Besides. I want to remember this in the morning,” Draco whispers.

“Alright. Just…” Harry sucks on Draco’s neck until Draco’s breath goes unsteady again. He pulls away to find the beginnings of a bruise forming against Draco’s pale skin. “In case you do forget. Need evidence.”

Draco closes his eyes. He doesn’t say anything for a long time and Harry begins to feel tired and sleepy. He closes his eyes too, fading off.

“I’m sorry,” Draco whispers fiercely in Harry’s ear. Harry wants to acknowledge his apology somehow. It sounds too intense to be fake, too broken for casualness. But he’s already falling asleep and he can’t even open his eyes.

“The school is going to have a frenzy when they find us like this,” he manages.

He falls asleep with Draco’s soft laughter ringing in his ears.


End file.
